The Water-Soluble Carbohydrates of Papaver Somniferum L

Abstract

Abstract From an aqueous extract of opium poppy capsules of Yugoslavian origin, the following carbohydrates were isolated: glucose, fructose, sucrose, sedoheptulose, mannoheptulose, plus a complex polysaccharide. The polysaccharide was isolated in two different ways, by means of an ion exchange resin and by precipitation with ethanol. The first-mentioned procedure appeared to give the most genuine product, as the substance thus obtained formed a gel when sulphuric acid was added to an aqueous solution. Enzymatic hydrolysis with a pectase preparation liberated arabinose. The product isolated by ethanol precipitation gave no arabinose upon treatment with the enzyme preparation. By hydrolysis with acid, both products yielded the same monosaccharides, arabinose, xylose, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, uronic acid, and an unidentified component.